Succubus
by 6hIkaRi6
Summary: To find a love left abanoned in the night, you must dance with a few skeletons along the way. It's more fun that way; to play the succubus, to toy with your own emotions.../HIATUS/BEING RE-WRITTEN/
1. Grey Memories

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the original plot/characters of Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto respectively.

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><p><em>Succubus<em>

_Four years ago_

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><p>Sasuke walked through the rain with Team Taka, allowing the pitter patter of water to drown out the moaning's occurring behind him. Suigetsu jumped about opening his mouth to let in the rain, enjoying the grey weather.<p>

"I fail to understand you desire to be wet all the time. Are you like Karin? She always boasts about being wet in Sasuke's presence." Juugo spoke while smiling softly, keeping cover from the rain under a tiny red parasol.

Suigetsu cringed. He continued walking after a moment had passed, silently cursing Juugo for being incredibly, unknowingly, disgusting. All the while he nervously glanced back at the ginger reassuring himself that Juugo's calm demeanour was still intact.

Karin was completely oblivious to whatever was going on around her. She was too mulling over her latest ploy on how she was to seduce Sasuke. She was planning what sort of kimono to wear on January 8th, when the Seijin No Hi festival was to be held this year. It is a coming of age for all twenty year old women who would visit a Shinto shrine to pray for health and prosperity.

But of course Karin wasn't going to do that, she wasn't twenty either, but that didn't bother her. She envisioned herself a stunner in crimson and gold, silk plastered to her, admittedly, voluptuous curves. The common dream of anyone hopelessly smitten with an Uchiha.

"These days Sasuke has been so deep in thought… one day his aura will be warm and open for me instead of her…" Karin sneered to herself.

"What?" Sasuke snorted. He was annoyed and these days more often than not. He wanted for once not to be coaxed into motivating the aimless Suigetsu, or have to calm Juugo down every minute of the day, or have to constantly pry Karin off of his arm. But they had helped him kill Itachi. So Sasuke offered much gratitude to his team. And now they needed new purpose. A new destination perhaps.

Konoha was waiting for them all with a parade perhaps. The hero's welcome. However Sasuke's revenge would never truly be fulfilled unless he were to go against his brother's last words and take on Madara's offer.

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><p><em>Present<em>

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><p>Sasuke pulled a face as he contemplated the what if's in his life. What if he had chosen to go back to Konoha as a hero? He wouldn't be alone, would he? He wouldn't wish for his death every night. He would be with his family (even if he didn't consider them family once upon a time). And maybe he could have been with her. Perhaps seen where following ones heart would lead to. Now, regardless of the fact the world was filled with people, constantly changing and laughing, he was now truly, and utterly… alone.<p>

Sasuke scrambled up a nearby tree and looked over the glowing village before him. He could hear the sound of children playing. He could smell the strong and lingering sake on his palate. He could almost taste the sticky, unbearably sweet dango and various other kinds of wagashi. It was New Year's Day. Sasuke sighed. In eleven days, she would be celebrating the Seijin No Hi festival. Her birthday was the March 28th. She had turned twenty a year ago.

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><p><strong>AN: **This is a re-write. To those following the story, I am incredibly sorry for the slow updates. I am presently re-writing all chapters (because re-reading this story is rather painful for me...) and this will help me greatly when it comes to writing chapter 10. Please be patient I do intend to finish this story. Again, I am very sorry.


	2. Drunken Bloodlust

(AN: in this there is naru/hina and slight ino/shika and neji/ten.)

Disclaimer: again, I don't own Naruto or its characters/plot.

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><p>"Sakura! N-naruto-kun… h-he ask-"Hinata's stuttering was cut off by Tenten and Ino's squeals.<p>

"Naruto asked Hinata out!"Ino and Tenten screamed into Sakura's ear simultaneously. Sakura fell backwards. When she got back up the hustle and bustle of the normally vibrant Konoha village, seemed to stop and the laughter of children and young girls preparing for the Seijin No Hi festival became but an echo of the past. A cold, yet somehow burning aura was being transmitted through the air. Sakura's fists became snow white, her eye's glowing a mix of red and jade.

"Err, S-sakura… are y-you… okay…?" This time it was Tenten and Ino's turn to stutter. After a few spine chilling moments, Sakura took a deep breath, then looked up, her usual perky look planted on her face. She flashed a heartless smile.

"I'm good." Sakura lied, a very bad one at that as well, due to the fact that even Tenten could see through it. Ino and Hinata exchanged worried glances. Whenever a new year began, Sakura would always be in some sort of mood.

"It's probably about him…" Ino whispered timidly to Hinata. Sakura didn't seem to notice. If she had, she wouldn't have bothered to hide that fact; she'd have clobbered some poor ninja passing by.

"Well, Hinata. I'm happy for you." Sakura smiled again. This time, sorrow was clear in her eyes. Ino figured they should've told her some way else, while Hinata felt upset for burdening Sakura with her own happiness while Sakura was without it.

Tenten noticed the strain between the four of them, so decided to start a conversation that would get them all excited. Clothes.

"So, hey, err, what are you all wearing for the Seijin No Hi festival?" Tenten asked quite depressed. Her Seijin No Hi was last year. She didn't particularly enjoy it due to the fact most of her friends were a year younger than her.

Ino and Sakura burst into obnoxious squeals at the mention of clothes, while Hinata giggled shyly. Tenten smiled at their reactions.

"Well, I had my look planned months ago. Blue and lilac kimono with a chrysanthemum patterned sash. And, I might curl my hair." Ino sighed, picturing every boy in the village falling to her feet, begging her to be theirs.

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><p>"<em>Ino, your beauty and skill as a ninja astonishes me. Please, I'm begging you, be mine!" Shikamaru was on his knees, arms around Ino's leg.<em>

_Another tanned boy with green eyes and brown hair lunged at Shikamaru, trying to pry him away and claim Ino for himself. _

"_Please, boys! There's only one boy I'm interested in."Ino looked down at Shikamaru, beaming at the affection he was giving her._

_Shikamaru used Shadow Possession jutsu on the boy then said, "Ino, do I look fat in this?"_

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><p>"Huh?" Ino looked puzzled.<p>

"I said, does this kimono make me look fat?" Ino snapped out of her daydream, surprised by her new surroundings, and looked at Sakura annoyed, only to gasp at what Sakura and Hinata was wearing. Sakura was wearing a black and white knee high kimono, with teal dragons and cherry blossom petals sprawled across the front and back of the dress, while Hinata was wearing an ice blue and dark purple ankle high kimono with raindrops and leaves decorating the bottom.

"Wow! How are you guys gonna wear your hair?" Ino gasped, amazed.

About to answer, Hinata was cut off by a screaming blonde dunce dragging behind him with two doppelgangers, Sai, Shikamaru and Neji.

"Helloooo girlies!" Naruto shouted on the top of his lungs, causing the three boys next to him to flinch in pain.

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><p>"Another." Sasuke placed his glass on the bar table, motioning for the barman to give him a refill.<p>

"I think you've had enough sir. This is your seventh shot-"the barman began, but was cut off by Sasuke slamming his fist on the bar and glaring at him. His fringe hung over his face, causing the venom in his eyes to look more sinister due to the shadow they were casting over his face.

The barman seemed oblivious to this because he grabbed a tanto knife from underneath the bar and placed it on the table.

Sasuke threw his head back and laughed. His laugh seemed strained, almost lifeless. It echoed through the bar, alerting anyone left inside the desolate bar (very few due to the fact it was 2:00am) of what was happening in the corner of the bar.

Sasuke looked back at the barman. He took out his katana and pointed the tip at the barman's neck, and then activated his sharingan. While smiling drunkenly, Sasuke turned the tip of the blade, allowing it to free a blood droplet from the barman's neck.

In his drunken state, Sasuke started to laugh again as he licked the blood of his katana.

"My sword is not worthy to be tainted by your blood!" Sasuke slurred, waving his arms around.

"…Sh-sharingan…" the barman's breathing became heavy and seemingly uncontrollable as he fell back into the various liquors behind him. Anyone else left in the bar immediately scrambled as soon as they heard the word sharingan.

Sasuke sniggered, placing his katana back into its sheath. He took a large bottle of sake then, tumbling slightly, he walked out the door while muttering under his breath, "These people don't know anything…" Whatever that meant, not even Sasuke knew.

While walking down the street of the village Sasuke surveyed the night before him, looking up into the starless sky, pondering whether to stay put and plot to destroy the person who forced his brother to make the choice he made all those years ago, or to leave it be and rebuild the clan.

He smirked, twisting his mouth into a screw in the process. 'I'm an avenger. What else am I? No point in trying to go back to Konoha. I'm hated there. Same goes for all other ninja villages. And besides, how am I to rebuild the clan without a strong ninja worthy of the name Uchiha if the only one who I believe is worthy is bound to hate me? ' Sasuke pondered. His smirk disappeared as he made his way to an old, shabby hotel.

The sign was faded red, and was weathered down to such a state that the words were unreadable. The white paint on the walls was peeling and was vandalised with vulgar pictures. Sasuke looked disgusted as he walked in, but decided that he too broke to be picky. The inside didn't seem as bad as the outside, though the walls were stained brown and yellow and the place smelled as if a million corpses were just left to decay in one of the rooms. The carpeted floor seemed to make a squelching sound with every step he took, causing him to take bigger strides. He wanted to turn back now and find another hotel but by the time he had made up his mind, the hotel clerk was already handing him the key to his room with knobbly fingers.

Sasuke hesitantly took the key off of the women, then immediately dashed up to his room. On his way there, he could hear creaking and banging in the other rooms. Sasuke grimaced, imagining the things going on in there; only to chuckle slightly at his reaction.

"I've been through worse." He said to himself while entering his room.

The next day…

Sasuke arose from his bed wearily. There was a sharp pain in his neck and his bare chest felt sticky. His hair was flat and greasy. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes and decided that the second he got the chance, he would take a shower and wash his clothes. He sniffed his underarms, immediately pulling his face away and wrinkling his nose in disgust. He had never let himself be like this before.

Before he could do anything else, Sasuke threw up over the side of the bed. A stabbing sensation made its way through his body as he threw up again. After wiping away the vomit from his mouth, Sasuke realised he stank of sake and other sorts of alcohol. Massaging his temples, he made a mental note to never, ever drink again. He hated the aftermath.

After putting his boots and white shirt on, he made his way out of the window. He didn't want to see that old woman again, or the stains on the lobby wall, or feel the floor go squelch beneath his feet, or pay his fair.

Sasuke headed towards the gate of the village, with only one thing on his mind.

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><p>"Helloooo girlies!" Naruto shouted on the top of his lungs, causing the three boys next to him to flinch in pain.<p>

"What a drag! Do you have to shout so loud?" Shikamaru winged in his usual lazy tone.

"Yes, of course he has to. Him being loud compensates his small-"Sai was cut off by the Konoha Eleven that were present.

"Don't say it!" Everyone shouted at once.

"What? I was about to say brain." Sai smiled a fake, innocent smile.

Naruto got rid of his clones, allowing Neji, Shikamaru and Sai to walk on their own feet again. Naruto went over to Hinata and gave her a tight hug and a massive kiss on the cheek, causing Hinata to go bright red.

Neji dusted himself off then went over to Tenten and gave her a swift kiss. Tenten giggled. "So, Naruto. Why did you drag us here to the middle of a girl's kimono shop?" Neji asked, curious.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at Naruto while Sai just gave Naruto the fake smile again.

"Mainly to see the girls-" Before being able to add to what he said, Sakura punched him in the gut. Sakura's eyes were ablaze.

"You pig! I don't know what Hinata see's in you!" Sakura seethed. Her fists were getting ready for Naruto to get close enough for her to punch him again.

"You're so right! Finally, someone who agrees with me!" Neji gasped. Everyone looked at him, their eyebrows raised at how out of character he was. "Sorry…"he muttered something else, but no one heard.

Everyone turned back to Sakura and Naruto.

"Sakura-chaaaan! You never let me finish! I was also going to say that I was looking for you girls because I'm arranging a party after the Seijin No Hi festival thing. Oh, and the reason why kill-joys Neji, Sai and Shikamaru, are here with me is because I couldn't find Suigetsu, Lee or Kiba.

"What about Karin?" Hinata asked. There was a moments silence then a burst of laughter. Sakura wiped a tear from her cheek.

"She still thinks Sasuke is in love with her. I mean, even after he tried to get her killed, she still has a shrine of him. Even I don't feel that way about Sasuke anymore." Sakura said. An awkward silence was present and it left a lump in everyone's throat, not allowing them to break the silence.

Ino was the only one to gather up enough courage to talk. "Sakura… but… you still have some feelings for him… right?" Sakura's eyes hardened as Ino revealed what was obviously the truth. Another awkward moment passed. This time, no one broke it.

"Helloooo Konoha…. umm, seven?" Suigetsu's kitty-cat voice brought cheer to the present Konoha eleven plus Sai. Juugo was right behind Suigetsu. He walked in front of Suigetsu then smiled warmly while waving slightly.

Juugo sensed the tension and stress being radiated from Sakura, and then frowned. He was always worried about Sakura; not because he liked her, but because she was one of the people, including Lady Tsunade and Hinata, to come up with some sort of medication to help him control his curse on his own.

"Anything wrong Sakura?" Juugo asked, his voice filled with concern. Sakura looked at Juugo, for a brief moment her eyes filled with hurt, but quickly regaining composure, she managed to flash a cheery smile.

"Oh, Juugo! Of course I'm okay; it was Naruto just pissing me off, as usual!" Sakura said. Everyone wondered which part of that was true. They all guessed the part about Naruto pissing her off. Juugo nodded, regardless of the fact the answer didn't satisfy him, but he dropped the matter.

For the next hour, everyone was getting ready for Naruto's party, as well as the girls getting ready for the Seijin No Hi festival. Everything was going well. The sun was shining and everything was perfect.

"Yo losers! What's up?" Karin's voice shattered the once perfect day, as she appeared before them wearing a red and white knee high kimono that stuck to her body. The one she had wanted to wear to impress Sasuke. Everyone groaned, knowing that if there was one person in this whole world that could make such a well loved tradition turn into a reason to strip, it was Karin.

"Karin, what the hell are you wearing?" Suigetsu was disgusted by the fact he actually liked her. He already knew what she was wearing and why, but he hoped she could have enough pride in herself to prove him wrong.

"For the Seijin No Hi festival, what else? Besides, Sasuke would be horrified I didn't wear this for him!" Karin squealed Sasuke's name. Everyone looked at her as if she were delusional, everyone except Sakura. Sakura began laughing, her voice sounding bitter and harsh.

"Sasuke has been gone for almost five years. No one's heard from him since the disappearance of Madara."

Karin scoffed. "Sakura, darling. You're not a sensory like I am. So you can't feel his presence. I can, and it's getting stronger as each day goes by. He's obviously coming back; well, not for you anyway…" Karin looked Sakura up and down, then smirked. Sakura clenched her fists, gritted her teeth.

She did not want to start a fight with Karin, but her inner self kept egging her on. It was unbearable. Before she could think, she launched herself at Karin.


	3. Lost

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its plot/characters.

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><p>Sasuke had been walking for around three hours. He had intended on going to the former akatsuki hide out and see if he could find any trace of Madara, but he had apparently gotten lost along the way. Sasuke didn't know how that was possible, since he had the sharingan and due to the fact there were no more akatsuki members walking among the living to protect the hide out in any way. Sasuke had made sure of that.<p>

Bending his knees slightly, Sasuke hopped up onto the tallest tree he could find. Stumbling near the top, Sasuke cursed himself for letting himself go these past couple of months. The drinking, going for a week without a shower, it had to stop. At the top, Sasuke surveyed his surroundings.

The sun cast a cold, lifeless glow across the forest Sasuke had immersed himself in. The wind was bitter, and smelled quite like tree sap, which was to be expected. The pea green leaves swayed in the soft breeze, dew drops rolling off them. The cerulean sky was shrouded by the grey clouds that were rolling in from the west. The clouds seemed to swell, presumably teeming with water.

Sasuke sighed. 'At least I get to have that shower I've been looking for,' he thought. Looking around some more to see if there was any shelter nearby, Sasuke spotted a tea house. He jumped off of the tree, and raced towards the tea house.

Within five minutes, he had reached the petite tea house hidden behind some flower shrubs and a tree that had a swing on it. Getting closer, Sasuke could see the exterior of the tea house. He pulled back the flaps that acted as doors, and then removed his shoes once inside. While doing so, he began to hear the faint pitter -patter of rain droplets hitting the wooden house. Thunder could also be heard from about a mile away. Sitting himself down at a table, he ordered some tea, then pulled a map from the stand next to the table.

Opening it up, his eyes widened slightly, not understanding how he could've allowed himself to go _there_, of all places. His feet had carried him to the out skirts of Konoha; to where _she _was. Outraged by his blunder and sudden desire for her touch, he got up and went outside into the rain without paying for his tea, causing the old woman who had served him to get up and waddle after him, waving her cane at him at the door. Eventually, she gave up. Out of breath, she sat back down on her stool and sipped some tea, immediately forgetting the whole ordeal she had went through and smiled, thinking about when her husband will come home from the shops. It's all she ever really thought about for four years now. Unknown to her, the person she had just served had killed him in the fourth great shinobi war.

Sasuke's hair was drooping, becoming heavy on his head, just like his shoulders were heavy with guilt. Sasuke shivered, even though he wasn't cold. This time, Sasuke knew he was going in the right direction for the akatsuki hideout. This time, he had a map!

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><p>Sakura lunged at Karin. For the people watching, it had happened all too fast. When her fist made contact made contact with Karin's face, a repulsive crack could be heard, and the force not only sent Karin's glasses flying, but also sent Karin crashing through the wall directly behind her. Sakura's eyes were filled with rage, her white fists painted with an auburn coloured liquid. Karin was lying on the ground, struggling to get up. When she managed to sit up without causing herself any pain, Karin opened her mouth, allowing blood and a broken tooth to stream out of her mouth.<p>

That is of course, was what Sakura wanted. She had her fist raised, inches away from Karin's face. Sakura was so tempted to crush that misshapen smirk that had spread across Karin's face, mocking her, trying to say that she was weak, pathetic, useless. Any shinobi at the scene would have told you how bitter and lifeless her aura felt, how they knew she was certain to rip away the skin from the red head; and this would have happened, if it weren't for Lady Tsunade's intervention.

"Sakura." She spoke through gritted teeth. Her eyebrows created a trench across her forehead. Pushing her blonde bangs away from her bronze eyes, she cast a look filled with malice at anyone who had stopped to look at the spectacle. "I am sure you all have better things to be doing right now." Tsunade's voice bellowed around the still and seemingly deserted market place. All that could be heard was the distant cries of a baby and the laughter of drunken old shinobi in the eve of the afternoon.

The crowd of civilians and shinobi alike that had formed the moment _his _name was mentioned, dispersed, busying themselves with their normal routine.

"So, will anyone tell me how your day has been? I mean, nothing could possibly be wrong two days before the Seijin No Hi festival, could it?" sarcasm whitewashed Tsunade's question, though Sakura and Ino thought it to be more of a comment than anything else.

"Well…" Shikamaru, being the only person present who can reason with the Godaime, began to portray the situation, hoping to get everyone, including himself, out of trouble; and if he was bothered, maybe even Karin.

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><p>The whispering pitter patter of the minute droplets of water rolled off of Sasuke's brow. His shirt was glued to his masculine torso, showing off his toned upper-body. This caused him to groan inwardly. It wasn't <em>exactly <em>the best time to be having his muscles being shown off. The city he was walking through was rotten. Drug dealers were hiding behind the over flowing dumpsters and women and men were selling their love to low lives and nothingness. Something that was familiar to anyone in this city, including Sasuke. No matter where they would go, nothingness would await them… mu.

While walking through the city, Sasuke looked around and pondered as to how people with any humanity left in them, could live like this. He looked at the young children stealing from a weary samurai whose face, was beginning to lose all life, beginning to sag, but the samurai still smiled while patting his ever-so-loyal dog. Its breed was obscured by the amount of dirt that clung to its long, thick coat.

He looked at women crying, not denying the fact that she was impure and was sure to go to hell, but she suddenly brightened a tad when she saw four children around the same age run and embrace her.

The young and the old have nothing, they're wasting away in this epitome of hell, yet they seem somewhat happy… why? Sasuke questioned himself. He pressed his brain to figure out the answer, but all it said was to look within one's self. Pulling a face at the answer given to him, Sasuke stepped into a nearby tavern for a toilet break.

When he walked into the toilet, he screwed up his face, trying desperately to erase the image, taste… everything his sensations picked up upon entering the toilet. There was a large hole in one of the walls that made it possible for people to look in. Screwing his face up even more, he picked his path carefully, avoiding leavings and god knows what. When he finished his business, he decided not to wash his hands, fearing to cause them to become dirtier.

Before he walked out of the tavern, he saw a calendar with the date January 8th circled. That was the date of the Seijin No Hi festival, wasn't it?

"If I'm not mistaken, it's the 6th today… and I'm only a couple days away…" Sasuke spoke silently, but stopped speaking when he heard the bartender say something of interest.

"I served three shinobi once, I think a month ago… anyway. The blonde was having an argument with some guy in a belly top, when the pink haired girl hauled them into the toilets and punched them through my wall! I would have complained but, I was scared. Not every day you see a teenage girl have the strength of ten men…"

"Boy!" that was all that could come out of the man conversing with the bartender.

Sasuke was stiff. He swallowed hard as he remembered the last time he saw Sakura. He'd tried to kill her. But then again, she had tried to kill him to.

Casting his obsidian eyes down to the ground, he walked out of the tavern while whispering, "Sakura," ever so softly.

Looking up once more at the moon, he had made his mind up. Before he could even think his idea, a low, shallow voice could be heard from on top of the roof tops. "Sasuke."

Sasuke turned around, and shot the source of the voice an ominous look, his sharingan activated. "_You!"_

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><p>AN: Well, that's the third chapter. Enjoy, because there may not be another one for a while… oh, guess who was on the roof tops!


	4. An Encounter of Good and Bad Things

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its plot/characters.

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><p>"Well…" Shikamaru struggled to find the right words to say to the infuriated Godaime. Shikamaru was slightly taken aback by his sudden loss for words. He shut his eyes while massaging his temples. While taking a deep breath, Shikamaru opened his eyes slightly, barely slits, then opened his mouth to speak. "Well… it involves… you-know-who…"<p>

Tsunade's caramel orbs darted from Shikamaru to Sakura and then to Karin. Her features were still hard, the diamond on her forehead being swallowed by the trench that had appeared on her brow. Juugo and Suigetsu stood in-between Sakura and Karin, in hopes to prevent another fight breaking out between the two kunoichi. Sakura's eyes were still narrow, emerald blobs teeming with ire. Juugo placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and squeezed it, trying to comfort her, only causing Sakura to become tense.

When the silence had began to freeze over, Tsunade spoke, her features becoming soft and warm and calm. "Sakura, I understand your pain. The pain of a broken heart. So I understand your purpose to cause Karin pain, but what I won't excuse is-" Tsunade stopped abruptly, grimacing. Rage flooded her eyes again as she saw a certain old toad, _researching_ for his the last book in his long running series. "Jiraiya!"

"Pervy-sage, you're back from your mission!" A huge grin spread across Naruto's, for some reason, already perky face. Everyone watched in awe as Tsunade scolded Jiraiya then rearranged his insides with one mighty kick.

Everyone went pale. Naruto elbowed Neji and Shikamaru, and murmured "Hey, don't you think we should scram…?" Shikamaru thought about this for a moment, while Naruto stroked his imaginary beard.

Just as Tsunade turned around to look at the group, Suigetsu screamed. "Oh my gosh we're all gonna die!" Everyone ran off in different directions, either in their teams or alone, while cackling at the thought of one of them being annihilated by the now malicious princess.

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><p>"<em>You!" <em>Sasuke sneered. He almost smiled at how his prey had most purposely come to where its hunter was, mocking him.

"Sasuke, have you ever noticed that whenever this side of the country is night, the other side is day? In other words, right now it's day time in Konoha." A deep, bewitching voice rang in Sasuke's ears. Sasuke flinched. The voice was alarmingly close.

"And why would I care?" Sasuke snapped, losing composure.

"Tut, tut Sasuke. Is that how you treat me, after all that I've done?" the voice was closer than before. The origin of the voice had hopped from the rooftop it had made itself known on, then walked in front of the moon, casting a ghostly silhouette. A tall, masculine figure began walking towards Sasuke.

Pulling out his katana, Sasuke took a step back, staring daggers at the man. "Don't you dare come any were near me, you hear."

A sinister laugh emerged from the shady figure, long, spiky hair falling down to his thighs. He threw his head back, looking at the infinite sapphire sky, white specks showering the above. Looking back at Sasuke, the man activated a _very_ unique mangekyo eye as well as a rinnegan.

"What do you want…? Madara." Sasuke seethed.

Madara began laughing again. This irritated Sasuke even more. Madara took a small step towards Sasuke, grinning, his eyes filled with an emotion that contained unimaginable hate, greed… betrayal… Sasuke couldn't help himself. He looked into those bottomless pits and immediately felt lost, regardless of how familiar he was with those eyes.

Sasuke remembered how every morning he used to look into the bathroom mirror with those eyes, always those same epitomes of everything wrong in this world.

"We're the same in every single way, you do know that Sasuke?" Madara finally spoke, snapping Sasuke out of his trance. Sasuke snorted.

"Me, the same as you!? I would rather die." Sasuke coal black eyes flooded with emotion. His stomach began to boil. He placed a hand on his katana, getting into a fighting position. "But what I want even more… is to paint all the walls with the wasted blood pumping through your veins!" Sasuke pushed himself towards Madara and aimed his katana at his chest.

Smirking, Madara grabbed Sasuke's arm and writhed the katana out of his hand. He then punched Sasuke in the gut and grabbed a fist full of hair, using it to pull his head up so Sasuke would look Madara in the eye.

"Such a shame… inheriting the hatred of the Uchiha but not using it… imagine the power! If you catch the nine tails jinchuriki and help extract it, you will be able to destroy Konoha and finally get revenge for what that village did to your big brother. Besides, as you know, my eye of the moon plan won't work without the nine tails chakra. This arrangement will benefit the both of us. So what do you say?" Madara spoke, trying his best to sugar coat his words.

Sasuke's face went blank. Then, mustering up as much spittle as he could, Sasuke spat on Madara's face. Sasuke sniggered. Madara frowned. "I'll take that as a no." Grabbing his neck, Madara hauled Sasuke into an alley way and him slammed into a wall. Sasuke tried to pull Madara's hand away from his throat in desperation, struggling to breath.

"I'm afraid Sasuke that you have no choice _but_ to help me! If you don't, your precious Sakura will no longer be yours to claim…" Madara said heartlessly. Sasuke looked at him, face riddled with confusion. "After you failed to destroy Konoha, you constantly muttered her name in your sleep. It was rather annoying, so I looked into this… _Sakura_. Quite the young woman! Despite not having any large reserves of chakra, she has still managed to become a brilliant medic ninja. Worthy of helping rebuild the Uchiha clan…"

Sasuke was blank for a moment, then he looked at Madara, disgusted. "You sick son of a… DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Sasuke screamed at Madara's face.

"Then help me." Sasuke knew that Madara was blackmailing him, but regardless, he let his head hang in agreement.

* * *

><p>"Phew! I think we lost her!" Sakura gasped. After running for almost an hour, her and Naruto had finally managed to lose Tsunade.<p>

"About time too! I was scared I was going to evaporate from lack of water!" Instead of Naruto's girlish voice, a laid back voice came from behind Sakura, causing her to squeal. "Hey! Keep it down, that Tsunade women could find us!" Suigetsu took a swig of his water then leaned against the cool brick wall behind him.

Sakura looked at him amused. "Well sorry. It's just that I thought you were Naruto. I mean, your auras are similar." Suigetsu looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"You think I'm like that knucklehead!?" Suigetsu grinned cheekily, trying to wind Sakura up. And it was working because she tried to punch him, but obviously failed when Suigetsu turned to water.

"I hate it when you do that!" Sakura pouted, looking at her fist that was trapped in Suigetsu's lower stomach. "Err, do you think you can let go of me?" A faint blush was visible on Sakura's face.

Suigetsu snickered. "Fine, I'll show you mercy this time!"

Pulling her fist out of Suigetsu's stomach, she asked, "And what's that meant to mean?"

"Well…" Suigetsu placed one hand on his chin and leaned towards Sakura. He struggled to find the right words to say. "Well, if… and I mean _if_, we were to go out some time, I wouldn't umm, know how I could… you know, keep my hands off you… and I'm just saying! It's not like I'm asking you out! I'm not saying your ugly! But-"Sakura slapped him playfully.

"Then what are you trying to say?" she raised an eyebrow.

Rubbing the back of his head, he replied "Well… whoever goes out with you is a very, err, lucky guy… you know?" Suigetsu's pale face suddenly became pink, though Sakura wasn't paying attention to his face; she was looking up at the sky smiling. "Hey, what's wrong?"

After a moment went by, Sakura slapped him again. "You're sweet you know that!" She then kissed him on the cheek then got up to go looking for Naruto and Sai.

Watching her disappear, Suigetsu muttered, "Man, that's one girl I'd defiantly melt for…"


	5. Unknown Reasons

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto characters/original plot. Masashi Kishimoto owns that stuff.

* * *

><p>The midday sun soared above Sasuke and Madara, glinting off the sweat on both their bare chests. Madara's long hair was tied back into a ponytail, and his mask was dangling off his neck. Sasuke's hands were stuffed in his pockets, and his face was twisted up while he desperately tried to rearrange his underwear despite the position of his hands. Not a word was exchanged between them ever since the previous night, and they had been walking non-stop ever since sunrise.<p>

"We need to stop." Sasuke huffed, finally deciding to voice the thought that was flitting around in his head. "I… need to… take a wiz…" he trailed off, already walking off towards the moss green bushes, unzipping his trousers. Madara reached out grabbed a fistful of Sasuke's hair and pulled him backwards, yanking his head back so their equally black eyes met.

"I don't care if you piss yourself…. We need to get to the Akatsuki base before sunset. We get there any later and you're in for it…" the corners of Madara's mouth jerked upwards in a twitchy motion. Snarling, he threw Sasuke in front of him. "Look at you…. Itachi should have killed you with the rest of the clan….. you're a pathetic mess…."

"Shut up you prick… don't you dare call me pathetic…. you're the one who tried _and_ failed to take over Konoha…. twice!" Sasuke spoke slowly, teeth gritted, his eyes narrowing, and his aura growing deadly.

As he got up, Sasuke pulled up his zip, then threw his fist at Madara's face. Blocking the punch, Madara kneed Sasuke in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Rolling to the side to avoid Madara's next punch, Sasuke made a few hand signs, then attacked Madara with a chidori sharp spear.

Madara chuckled, redirecting the attack, sending Sasuke flying into the forest. Chasing after him, Madara hollered, "You really think you can kill me!"

Spotting Sasuke on the ground in a clearing, Madara stopped running and stood over him, stamping his foot against his head. He grinned as he saw Sasuke groan in agony as Sasuke felt his temple slowly begin to give in to the pressure of Madara's foot. "You sadistic jerk!" Sasuke tried his best to shout, to intimidate the demon that stood over him, but his voice was but a mere squeal, causing Madara to throw his head back and laugh.

Madara crouched down, and whispered into Sasuke's ear. "The heat must be getting to you, because you seem to have forgotten why you are here…." Sasuke's eyes widened. Swallowing hard a lump in his throat, he became very solemn. Noticing this, Madara removed his foot and patted Sasuke's head. "Good boy. If you want, you can go toilet, it's not like we are going to get to the base before sunset now anyway."

As he got up, Sasuke shook his head, keeping his eyes fixed to his feet. Madara shrugged then led Sasuke back to the main road, and away from the wet puddle that Sasuke had left behind.

* * *

><p>Hinata looked up at the night sky, her pearl white eyes glimmering beneath the stars. Her deep indigo hair swayed slightly in the breeze. She swung her legs that were dangled off the side of Hokage Mountain. She wore a dark blue tee with a white skirt.<p>

Whistling to herself, Hinata looked down over the village, its iridescent lights competing with the glow of the moon and stars. "I wonder when Naruto is coming…." She spoke to herself.

Beginning to whistle to herself once more, Hinata didn't notice the movement of the shadows or the rustling. She did however notice the giggling that was close behind her. Gasping, Hinata whipped her head around, looking behind her. Getting up out of her sitting position, she activated her byakugan.

She frowned. "Naruto-kun! D-don't do that!" Naruto walked up to her smiling insanely.

"Sorry Hinata-chan! But I couldn't help it; I mean you _are_ pretty easy to scare…" Naruto trailed off, his smile disappearing when he noticed the look on Hinata's face.

"Just because I get scared easily doesn't mean you should try to scare me! It's not nice!" Hinata pouted, her arms folded.

Before Naruto got a chance to respond, he suddenly felt a wet sensation on his back.

"Yeah! You tell him Hinata!" Suigetsu eyed the couple while turning back into a solid. Coming out from behind the tree's was Sakura and Sai. Walking up to Naruto, Sakura punched him, while Suigetsu turned into water, acting as a pillow to break Naruto's fall.

"Hinata's right Naruto. You shouldn't treat a female like that. As you can see the consequences are deadly." Sai smiled, holding out his hand to help Naruto up. Graciously taking it, Naruto stood up and then shook Suigetsu off of him.

"Alright, gosh! I'm sorry okay! What are you lot doing here anyway? Me and Hinata are meant to be on a date!" Naruto spoke brashly. Hinata's face fell, her hopes shattered. '_Some first date…_'Hinata thought.

"Yeah, I can see that you're having a date." Sakura's tone was heavy with sarcasm.

Sai sighed. "We have a mission."

"No!" Hinata squealed, drawing the attention of everyone present. "This is mine and Naruto-kun's first date! You can't even call it that… it's more like a fifth attempt. And this has turned out to be the worst attempt yet!" As her eyes made way for tears, Hinata ran off.

"Hey, Hinata wait!" Naruto shouted, running after Hinata.

Suigetsu, who had remained quiet until now, opened his mouth to speak. "Ah man… do you think we ruined their date?" Sai and Sakura stared at him. After a moment, Sakura threw a rock at him, which went right through him.

Elsewhere…

Hinata leaned her back against a tree and slid down it, hugging her knees. The tears streamed down her face while she sucked up air in-between sobs.

"Hinata…" Naruto ran up to Hinata and spread his arms out wide to pull her into an embrace, an embrace Hinata denied. "Hinata, what's wrong?" Worry lined Naruto's face.

Sighing, Hinata wiped away the tears to allow fresh one take their place. "This is our first date… and when I was younger… I-I always imagined our first d-date to b-be… well…" Hinata burst into tears again, burying her head into her knees. She this time did not deny Naruto's embrace.

"Hinata… I-I didn't know how much this meant…." Naruto whispered to Hinata, his lips grazing her ear. Cupping her face in his hand, he pressed his forehead to hers, and smiled warmly. "The date is off!" Hinata opened her mouth to protest, only to be stopped by Naruto's sudden energy spurt. Naruto pulled her up off of the ground and pulled her close to him. "There was no date in the first place! There will be no first date until it's exactly how you imagined it!"

Hinata smiled at Naruto's idea, and was about to say something when a light whooshing sound was heard.

Naruto gagged, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Gritting his teeth, he reached his arm round to see what was shot onto his back. His fingers intertwined with wires in his back. Frowning, he tried to concentrate his chakra, only to end up rolling on the floor in pain.

"Naruto!" Hinata screamed, activating her byakugan. She immediately got into a defensive stance.

"….Whatever is strapped to my back… is sucking the chakra out of me…" Naruto wheezed. Hinata's eyes widened. Turning her head away from Naruto, she saw a group of six men. From the group emerged a woman wearing a purple floral patterned kimono, a katana strapped to her waist. She had short dark red hair and rusty bronze eyes.

"How sweet… protecting your boyfriend from danger…. hah! Well there is no need to worry about him; it's you we're after, not the boy."

"Well, well! We made it before sunset. An hour ahead of time! Aren't you proud Sasuke?" Madara nudged Sasuke who was standing right next to him. Sasuke looked up at the mountain that stood before them, and grunted. Madara frowned, ignoring Sasuke's reply. "We have to be careful upon entering. There is still one member of the akatsuki here… and despite our sharingan; her genjutsu's are very formidable…"

* * *

><p>Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his remark. "Her…? Oh right, I remember now… but why would she want to stay here? There is nothing left for her here."<p>

Madara smirked. "To protect the rinnegan eye remaining with Pein…"

"And you need that why?" Sasuke face was riddled with confusion.

A low, deep chuckle rumbled from Madara's throat. "I don't need the rinnegan eye as you can see." Madara turned to Sasuke, showing him his rinnegan eye. "I need Konan."

"Why?"

Madara sighed, walking off towards the mountain face, placing his right hand on it. Smiling, he pushed his now chakra infused hand into the mountain. A moment passed, than a loud crackling sound pulsated throughout the forest.

Sasuke watched as a large gaping hole opened up, revealing a black nothingness. Seeing Madara walk into the hole, Sasuke ran after him, entering just before the hole closed up. That was when the screaming began.


	6. Purple Haired Women

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Naruto or it plot/characters.

* * *

><p>"It's you we're after, not the boy." A sickly sweet voice rolled out of the women's mouth. Hinata's eyes widened, her pupils shimmering as they shook ever so slightly.<p>

"Hinata-"Naruto was cut off by another shot of pain being sent through his body. Swallowing as much air as he could, he spoke again through gritted teeth, his voice tense. "Hinata… get out of here! I won't let you get hurt…" Hinata looked down at his gentle blue eyes, eyes filled with pain and worry. Narrowing her eyes, Hinata screamed.

"No! I won't leave you here like this! I can fend them off on my own!" And with that said, Hinata charged towards the auburn haired women. Hinata's aura exuded with determination, her eyes filled with fire. Thrusting her palm into the women's stomach, she quickly followed with a kick, which was guarded with a katana. Hinata jumped backwards to avoid the blade from hitting her. Standing her ground, the women swung her sword around in a few sharp flicks, then held it out in front of her.

"Naomi-san, are you okay?!" A man with a buzz cut and a torn fish net hanging off his chest stepped in front of Naomi, holding a crossbow down beside his hip in a somewhat threatening manner.

Naomi pushed the man away, the venom in her eyes obvious. "I'm fine. This girl just needs to learn some respect for her elders. It'll be quite easy to knock her out on my own. We can't bring damaged goods to the sir now can we, so only get involved if foxy over there manages to put up fight." She spoke with a sense of authority, but something in her voice held… fear?

Hinata charged towards Naomi once again, dodging the swing from the katana, then grazing her palm against Naomi's hip. The fiery red head spat out the blood that had risen to her throat.

Growing impatient, Naomi jumped backwards, then made a few hand signs. A gust of wind flew by as the shadows on the ground began to morph into morbid shapes, rising from the ground. The figures appeared to be beasts; beasts with piercing red eyes and snarling black smiles. Smirking, Naomi licked her lips. "Like my pets? This is why the sir hired me and my group. We get whatever we want, and when the prey is stubborn, I leave the rest up to my pretty little darlings here!" Her voice was silky, and just as sickly sweet as it was when she uttered her first words to Hinata.

Hinata gritted her teeth, standing her ground as she took head on the attack headed her way. The beasts sprinted towards her, grey tongues licking black teeth.

"Hinata…" Naruto muttered quietly to himself as his vision faded, the last image in his mind being that of Hinata's body slung over Naomi's shoulder.

* * *

><p>The screaming pierced Sasuke's ears. Both Madara and Sasuke held their hands up against their ears, darting their onyx orbs back and forth, trying to find the source of the screaming. "This is hopeless; we need to get some light in here!" Sasuke raised his voice above the screaming. Feeling around to find a light switch or a torch, Sasuke instead found something soft and pudgy, like skin. Tracing his fingers over it some more, he felt cold metal.<p>

"Found the light switch!" Madara flicked on the light, then started to chuckle. Sasuke began screaming, adding to the noise in the former hideout.

"Get your hands off of him!" Konan jumped out from the shadows, slapping Sasuke away from Pein. She pulled out a kunai and aimed it at Sasuke, changing the target to Madara when she spotted him. "I won't let you take another one from him!" Konan had a crazed look in her eye as she charged towards Madara. Her once tamed, cropped hair was now incredibly long, falling to her hips, and was loosely pulled back into a ponytail.

Sighing, Madara held out an open palm, grabbing Konan's hand. Looking her in the eyes, he wrenched the kunai out of Konan's fist and slapped her backwards into Sasuke.

"You still have this guy's old body hanging around the place? Pathetic…" Madara walked towards Konan and pulled her up by the collar of her coat.

"That is actually something I'm curious about… why do you have a dead body hanging around?" Sasuke jumped up then crept away from the body, his brow lined with sweat. He cast his eyes away from Konan's silver irises, seeing only pain in them…. Pein.

Gritting her teeth, she spat at Madara's face, mustering up as much spittle as she could. "I won't let you take the last of Nagato's eyes. You already have one!"

"Yes, I am aware of that fact. But I haven't come here for Pein's last eye… I've come here for you!"

Konan threw back her head and began screaming and laughing and muttering meaningless words. Slowly setting her back on the ground, Madara raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, who simply shrugged, not wanting to be anywhere at the current moment. After recovering from her moment, Konan grimaced, her grey eyes burning with hate and confusion. Looking at Madara and Sasuke with disgust, she spat once again at Madara's face.

Wiping the spit off of his face, Madara tugged the corners of his lips upwards, not even classifying as a smirk. "We need you to help us with a mission."

"Help _you_! I'm here only because you blackmailed me." Sasuke snapped. Konan grinned at Sasuke for how easily he had managed to get involved with Madara's evil deeds again.

Ignoring Sasuke's interruption, Madara continued. "In order to carry out the mission, we need to pick up a package on the outskirts of Konoha, and it shouldn't take too long to get there if I use space-time migration."

"And we walked non-stop for a whole day to Amegakure why?" Sasuke groaned, groaning even louder when he was ignored.

Konan looked hesitant, then stated, "No."

Madara frowned. "Wrong answer." Grabbing her by her collar, he flung her across the room. Walking up to her, he picked her up and raised a fist. "If you don't say yes, then I'll kill you."

"Go ahead!" Konan seethed. Madara grinned, seeing his tactics fail, and then remembered the dead body behind him.

"Then I'll take Pein's remaining rinnegan." Konan went pale. Madara smirked. "Shall we get going then?" Performing a few hand signs, Sasuke, Konan and Madara spun out of sight. To the outskirts of Konoha.

* * *

><p>Naruto rolled around in his bed, drool dripping onto his pillow. He was tangled in his bed sheets, groaning. "Naruto… Naruto, wake up. You're having nightmares again!" Sakura's soft voice pulled Naruto to reality. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up abruptly, only to fall back again screaming in agony.<p>

"Hinata… where is she?!" Naruto murmured, not wanting anyone to confirm the worst. Sakura sighed, figuring out how to put it gently, only to be interrupted by Neji who came bursting in through the door with Tenten.

"She's gone! They took her and who knows what they'll do to her! Whoever_ they_ are!" Neji shrieked in Naruto's ear, pulling him out of the bed and throwing him against the wall. Before he could do any more damage, Tenten held him back while Sakura punched him in the gut, sending him to his knees.

"Neji, it's not Naruto's fault. You heard what happened; Naruto can't be held responsible for any of this." Tenten spoke quietly to Neji as she pulled him into her arms, holding him tight. Tenten looked at Sakura with worried eyes, who gave her the same response.

Picking Neji up off of the ground, Tenten led him outside, leaving Sakura to tend to a sobbing Naruto.

* * *

><p>"Neji, that was insensitive!" Tenten scolded Neji despite his fragile state.<p>

"What do you mean insensitive?! He's the one who let her get kidnapped! Not me; it's his fault she's gone. How can he say he loves her?" Neji spat, only to get slapped over the head by a nurse passing by who bent down to clean it up.

"You didn't love Hinata for half your life! You tried to kill her for goodness sake!" Raising her voice a bit too loud, Tenten glared at Neji, trying to talk some sense into him.

"That's none of your business! You have no right to judge me when you know nothing about anything! You're just a stupid bitch who's had an easy, pansy life. You don't know what my pain is like! You will never understand!" Neji hissed in his blind rage. Tenten's face went blank, a single tear breaking free from her hazel eyes.

"I guess I really don't know anything… which is strange since you're the one who proposed. But since you obviously have a problem with me, then I guess the weddings off." And with that said, Tenten burst into tears, throwing a ring at him, and ran off.

"Neji, you really have gone and done it now! You should never say anything to insult your one-and-only." Lee walked up to him, having seen the spectacle on the way to Naruto's room. Picking up the ring on the floor, he handed it to Neji, who just stared at the empty space in front of him.

* * *

><p>Sasuke, Konan and Madara were sat at a bar, each taking a sip from their sake, apart from Sasuke, who had ordered some green tea, remembering his experiences with alcohol. Looking up at the calendar, he took a mental note of the date. <em>The 7<em>_th__… I guess I won't get to see how much you've grown… Sakura…_

A bell chimed at the entrance to the tea house, and group of six men entered, one of them carrying a sack on their shoulder. They were followed by a shock blond women, who was wearing a pink blouse and light blue skirt.

One by one, they sat on the empty barstools surrounding Sasuke, Konan and Madara.

Looking at the shock blonde, Madara spoke. "You got the package?"

"In the sack." The women replied. Madara smirked.

"I knew I could rely on you." Handing her a bag of golden coins, he took the sack off of the group, then sat back down, showing the contents of the sack to Sasuke and Konan.

"A girl?" Konan seemed confused.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw who the girl was. "Hinata!"

Naomi removed the blond wig, revealing red hair, placed the bag underneath it, and then placed the wig back on, readjusting it.


	7. Lovely Moon

A/N: Sorry I took so long! Hope you all had a merry christmas, hannaukah(sp) or whatever it is you celebrate, and for those of you that celebrated the Sejin No Hi festival, hope you had fun! And for those of you in England... have you seen the snow!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its plot/characters.

* * *

><p>January 8th<p>

Neji's eyes blinked open at the sound of the alarm clock. Stabbing a fist at it, he broke the clock, cogs rolling off the bedside table. Rolling to his right side, he placed an arm on the empty space next to him on the king size bed. Tenten still hadn't come back.

Sighing, Neji grouchily got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom in the nude, grabbing a small platinum ring that held a medium sized pearl, small sapphires circled around it. Tenten's engagement ring.

Neji and Tenten had been dating for five years. Neji vowed that, from the very moment he started going out with her he would never hurt her. He being himself broke this vow countless times, but Tenten always understood how he really felt.

But a woman's patience can only last so long.

* * *

><p>Tenten kept her head buried in her pillow throughout the night, not wanting to disturb Ino with her crying. Her face was puffy and red and hot from crying into her pillow all night. By Tenten's futon, were empty pots of chocolate flavoured ice cream, several empty bottles of tequila and a couple hundred sweet wrappers.<p>

Taking her head off of the pillow, Tenten squinted, blocking the sun with her hand. Rolling onto the floor, she reaches for a stray bottle of water, sitting up to drink. Ino walked into the room groaning, rubbing her temples. "I am so hung over!" Ino rubbed her ears, a ringing inside her ear. She glances at Tenten, and then smirks strangely. "It may be the alcohol talking…. But I think you're hot…." Ino giggles. After a few seconds of Tenten staring at Ino awkwardly, Ino sighs and then passes out.

Tenten scoffs, trying to remember exactly how much they had to drink the previous night. Slowly getting up off of the soft carpeted floor, she walks over to Ino and picks her up off of the floor. Slinging Ino over her shoulder, Tenten looks around her, groaning as she kicks a few empty sake bottles out of the way to reveal a phone.

Plopping Ino onto the kitchen counter, Tenten picked up the phone and poked at some numbers.

* * *

><p>Sakura walked into the kitchen, sporting purple bunny slippers, a red t-shirt and light blue spotted shorts. Taking an apple out of her mouth, she picks up the ringing phone.<p>

"Hello?"

"_Hello? Sakura, is that you?"_

"Tenten!? Are you okay? The last I saw you, you was with Ino an-"

"_Yeah, yeah! Ino has just passed out and I think she's really drunk. Do you mind coming over? I'm at Ino's place."_

"Oh gosh…. Fine! I'll be there in a minute!" Sakura hung up, leaving Tenten listening to a dial tone.

Pulling on a pair of jeans, a dark grey sweater and white trainers, Sakura picked up her keys and then opened the door, only to find a flustered Suigetsu to greet her. He quickly composed himself.

"Hey Sakura. How are things going?" Suigetsu grins, his violet eyes set alight with something Sakura couldn't quite point out.

Placing a finger on her chin and a hand on her hip, Sakura pouts. "Hmm…. Well Ino-pig is drunk at nine o'clock in the morning, Tenten just broke off her engagement with Neji a week before the wedding and Hinata has been kidnapped leaving Naruto shattered. Other than that, things are going great!" Sakura raised an eyebrow at Suigetsu, her tone mocking.

Scratching the back of his head, Suigetsu chuckles half-heartedly. "Anyway… umm…. I know this is a bad time to ask but-"

"Look, whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait! I have a lot of things to do!" Sakura pushes past Suigetsu, racing away, forgetting to shut the door behind her. Suigetsu sighs, shutting the door for Sakura.

"Sakura, will you go out with me!" Suigetsu scoffs, kicking at some dirt on the ground. He makes his leave after a minute of just staring at Sakura's door.

* * *

><p>Naruto repeatedly punched the trunk of an old oak tree, his knuckles white and bloody. Dark circles lingered beneath his sad eyes. His lips were dry and red, the skin bitten off. His hair was messy and uncombed.<p>

And somewhere behind this wreck of a man lay a photo and a headband, nailed together with a kunai. Naruto kept punching the tree trunk until it split in half. Staring at the empty space left behind by the tree trunk, Naruto fell to his knees and screamed.

"There was nothing you could do." Kakashi placed a hand Naruto's shoulder, only to be knocked back.

"You don't know what it's like! To be so helpless! To not be able to save someone you love dearly…." Naruto bawled, tears streaming down his face.

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak but then fully realized Naruto's melancholic disposition, so decided to say nothing. He got up and brushed off the dust on his trousers. "You take as much time as you need." Kakashi left after saying so little, exhausted of the year's trouble.

Naruto sat on the ground, still crying.

"You're pathetic." Naruto turned around to see Neji. He was slumped against a tree, a sake bottle held in a loose grip.

"Please don't tell me your drunk..." Naruto sniffled, cringing at the strong smell of alcohol.

* * *

><p>Sakura walked into Ino's apartment. Walking into the kitchen, she saw Tenten and Shikamaru. "When did Shikamaru get here?" Sakura asked.<p>

"Apparently they were both supposed to meet up for some sort of training session." Tenten replied. Sakura raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru who simply shrugged and pointed at Ino. Sakura took one look at the blonde on the kitchen counter and laughed.

Getting a glass of water, Sakura splashed it on Ino's face, who woke up choking.

"Oh crap! What the hell happened?" Ino appeared flustered.

"You got drunk." Shikamaru stated. Ino spotted Shikamaru, and stared into his caramel eyes. A few seconds past, then she kissed him. Shikamaru pushed Ino off of him, who giggled gleefully. "A bit too drunk…"

Sakura looked at Shikamaru. "You two are going out, aren't you?"

"Apparently…" Shikamaru groaned, while Ino squealed.

* * *

><p>Sasuke looked over to the still unconscious Hinata who continuously muttered in her sleep. Frowning, he looks up and catches Madara with a deathly glance. Madara retaliates with a sneer. Konan notices the merry war and decides to intervene.<p>

"Oh please! The both of you are acting like four year olds!" Konan scolds Sasuke and Madara, who both hang their head in shame.

Swallowing his pride, Sasuke finally looks up and asks, "Why is Hinata here?"

Madara begins to chuckle. "I thought you would have figured it out by now!"

"Just tell me!" Sasuke spat.

Madara throws his head back to look at the blue sky. "For leverage."

Sasuke frowns in confusion, debating in his head whether the answer to his burning question was one he wanted to hear. "Leverage for what exactly?"

"Leverage for a failed project." Madara smirks.

Konan begins to giggle, obviously having lost her mind long ago.

Sasuke's breath hitched in his throat. Eye of the moon project.


	8. Beloved Confinement

A/N: I've just realized how fast time passes in this story… I hope you're all still reading and can keep up with the pace….

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto's plot/characters.

* * *

><p>"Please don't tell me your drunk…" Naruto pushed off against the ground and began walking away from Neji. Naruto kept walking even as Neji began laughing hysterically.<p>

Neji stopped laughing then hurled the sake bottle at Naruto head, only for it to smash against a tree, its contents spilling out. Tears beginning to stream down his face, Neji screamed, then fell to his knees, his whole body shaking.

Naruto stopped walking then turned his head slightly to look at Neji. His face was ashen and his eyes drained of all life. His hair looked as if he had tried to cut it off, but stopped himself at the last second. Naruto didn't know what to say.

"She left me… for such a stupid reason but…" Neji swallowed as much air as he could, trying to stop crying. "But… I've done this so many times before…"

Naruto sat on the ground, his back to Neji. "What do mean?" His voice was croaky.

Neji smirked, though managed to retain some sort of sombre look to it. "I've made her feel inferior so many times… called her an idiot, weak and…. so many other things… but without her-"Naruto cuts him off.

"Your nothing."

"Exactly."

The two of them sat in silence. They were waiting for something that would never come. Not at that moment.

* * *

><p>"You're not trying to bring back the eye of the moon project?" Sasuke's eye's widened. His voice was filled with obvious panic and his chest swelled with guilt.<p>

Madara roared with laughter, mocking Sasuke's presumption. "Well… you're half right. But half right isn't good enough now is it?"

"Shut up!" Sasuke stood up shouting. His face was red with confusion and anger, no longer the calm, level-headed Uchiha he was famed to be back home. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke sat back down, trying to supress his rage. "What are you planning to do with Hinata then?"

Madara stayed silent, enjoying his way with Sasuke. Konan began laughing, seeing how Madara clearly had the upper hand when it came to mentality. Sighing, she spoke to Madara sweetly. "Oh dear! Just tell him, it's obviously driving him crazy!"

Madara smirked, nodding in agreement. "After some research, I've found out that this girl, Hinata, is the object of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's desires. All I had to do was wait for the perfect time to act. And I did. Just after you joined me in my travels, the Jinchuuriki decided to finally court the girl."

Sasuke stayed silent for a moment. _Court is such an old word to use…_ _Naruto finally figured Hinata out_, _huh?_

He smirked for a moment at this thought, only to spit at Madara. "You didn't answer my question. And how do you know all this?"

Madara frowned tired of being spat at. "I know this because I am a very good spy. And when you say I didn't answer your question, that's because there was nothing to answer. You were right. I was just messing with your head. It's rather easy these days…" The amusement in Madara's voice was evident.

Sasuke breathed heavily, trying not to lash out and remain civilised. "So you are trying to complete the eye of the moon plan. But how come no one knows of your resurface? I assume you have the Hachibi? "

Madara smiled. "Yes. It took a while though… I first had to wait until he was away from his village for a while. Then I apprehended him, and replaced him with a reanimation that is under my control. Simple."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You know the reanimation technique?"

"Yes."

"Liar. It was Kabuto that can perform the reanimation technique, not you."

Madara smirked, his eyes darkening, and he tapped his nose, motioning that he would never reveal certain secrets.

Sasuke looked down at the still unconscious Hinata. He then looked out towards the horizon, where Konoha was waiting. Placing a grip on the hilt of his katana, he jumped up and threw a fist in Konan's direction, knocking her out immediately. Madara got up and grabbed a fistful of Sasuke's hair, pulling him back.

"What are you doing?" Madara hissed into Sasuke's ear.

"Something I should've done a while ago." Grunting, Sasuke threw Madara in front of him, then activated his sharingan.

* * *

><p>"I guess the cat's out of the bag…" Shikamaru groaned, trying to support the wobbly blonde next to him.<p>

"What cat?" Ino slurred, her face riddled with confusion. Tenten frowned mouthing something. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Care to share your thoughts with us?" Sakura chimed.

"Oh it's nothing… just, why did you hide your relationship?" Tenten seemed unsettled, obviously thinking about something else, someone else.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, trying to remember when he first asked Ino out. "Well, we haven't been together long… I asked her out a week ago. Ino wanted to announce it today, so she could make some sort of big deal out of it…. Something like that…"

"Sounds like Ino. Wants to be the centre of attention on a day for all girls…" Sakura grumbled, creases appearing on her forehead. "Anyway, you should go and get some hot sauce and some iced water. Oh and some oranges! She needs that too." Sakura began prancing around Ino's apartment, looking through the kitchen draws and grabbing a knife.

"What's the hot sauce for? And the oranges?" Tenten questioned as she rummaged through some odd looking bottles in one of the kitchen cupboards. Shikamaru threw some oranges at Sakura, who sliced them in half and squeezed the juice of it into Ino's gaping mouth.

"Hot sauce is for smelling, to wake Ino up a bit. The oranges… well, she needs her vitamins." Sakura continued squeezing orange juice into Ino's mouth until there were no more oranges left. "You and Shikamaru look after her for a bit. I need to do something."

"What do you need to do?" Shikamaru droned.

"Tell Tsunade Ino has a hangover and won't be able to make her morning shift."

Throwing the knife into the sink, Sakura kicked her way through the rubbish and out the door.

Shikamaru hauled Ino over to the sofa and placed her on it. Tenten went to look out of the window to see Sakura bump into Suigetsu, who took hold of Sakura's hand and pulled her away somewhere. Tenten began to get teary eyed as she remembered how Neji first asked her out.

* * *

><p><em>Tenten was breathing heavily. Lee was lying on the ground, furious at being beaten once again by him. Neji.<em>

_Neji stood tall above both of them and had a sly grin plastered across his face. He was red from the heat that had settled on this august eve. "Why do you always pull me into your fights Lee? If you can't beat him then what makes you think I'm any help?" Tenten pouted, letting her legs give way. _

_Lee jumped up with extraordinary amounts of energy and went into a long rambling speech about youth. Somewhere, Gai was probably crying with joy. Neji looked at Tenten, annoyed and snapped. "Why did you have to get him started?" Tenten giggled shyly, not knowing how to argue back against him._

_Lee finally stopped talking and breathed. Getting up, he bid his farewell and then raced off. Tenten got up as well. "I guess I should be going too…" Tenten spoke quietly, not wanting to annoy Neji anymore._

"_Tenten wait!" The words began rolling out of Neji's mouth. Tenten looked at Neji, her eyes asking a million questions._

"_Tenten…" Neji became a deeper red then before. Tenten frowned. Neji huffed. He started walking towards Tenten and stopped until he was only a few centimetres away from her. It was now Tenten's turn to go red. "Tenten…" Neji gulped, and then pulled Tenten towards him, pressing his lips against hers._

_After a few moments of bliss, Neji pulled away, leaving Tenten dazed. "Tenten-"_

_Tenten slapped him. "If that's your way of asking me out, then it sucks. But… yes! I will go out with you." Tenten grinned. Neji held his cheek and sighed contently._

Shikamaru looked at Tenten and rolled his eyes. She still loved him, but was filled with too much pride to swallow.

_Of course she doesn't want to admit it! Being treated like crap and all…_

* * *

><p>"Women are so troublesome…" Shikamaru slapped himself, preparing himself for the unthinkable.<p>

Tenten snapped out of her trance and looked at Shikamaru questioningly. Ino who had finally sobered up enough to understand her surroundings, screamed as Shikamaru raised his hand at Tenten.

* * *

><p>"Suigetsu, what's wrong?" Sakura frowned, her eyes filled with worry as she looked Suigetsu up and down. He face was paper white, and he was sweating himself dry.<p>

Placing his hands on Sakura's shoulders, he licked his lips and spoke. "Sakura… I like you…and I don't just like you as a friend, I like like you. You know, as in I want to go out with you and stuff like that and-"

"Suigetsu! You're rambling! Get to the point!" Sakura raised her voice slightly in annoyance, but then she hugged the now dazed Suigetsu.

_He's never going to come back… give up to love… because you know you'll never win…_

Sakura whispered into Suigetsu's ear. "I like like you too." Pulling away, Sakura smiled genuinely. Suigetsu turned red, then kissed Sakura on the cheek. He began laughing.

"For a second there I thought you were gonna send me flying into a wall or something!"

Sakura scoffed. "That's easier said than done with you."

"Very true."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"I have every reason to."

"Like what?"

"You."

* * *

><p>Naruto and Neji were still sat in the forest clearing, still content with the heavy, tense silence that had decided to settle. It was just two men experiencing pain that is alike. Two men longing for a shoulder to cry on, but no one to turn to. Two men who, without their beloveds were nothing. Nothing.<p>

Neji finally broke the tension, though it didn't do much good. "What did you do to save her?"

Naruto flinched, not knowing what to say. He knew Neji was still drunk and that if Naruto wasn't careful he could send him into a fit of rage. Licking his lips, Naruto spoke hesitantly. "What I did to save her…" Naruto sighed, deciding not to lie to himself. "What I did… was nothing."

_Absolutely nothing._

"I just watched as those bastards took her… right from under me!" Tears began to brim Naruto's eyes once more. With clenched fists, Naruto jumped up and took large strides towards Neji. Grabbing the collar of his grey shirt, Naruto slammed Neji against a tree and began screaming at the enraged Hyuuga's face. "You're an idiot! You still have the world and you just throw it away! So much for Mr I'm too smart for you! I will bring Hinata back. I will do whatever it takes, as long as it helps you realise that you need pull yourself out of the grave you dug yourself and stop pitying yourself! Because you still have Tenten! And she loves you! She left you because you refused to let her in! Just because I've lost the love of my life doesn't mean you should lose yours! Now go get her you son of a-"

"Hey!"

"Heh… I got carried away…" Naruto let go of Neji and began smiling, if not barely. Neji looked at Naruto with a blank expression. After a moment went by, Neji gave Naruto a warm brotherly embrace. Naruto smirked and gladly returned it.

Releasing Naruto, Neji tapped him on the back. "Thank you… and umm… don't tell anyone about this." Neji spoke the last part sternly.

Naruto chuckled and nodded. "Now go clean yourself up! You stink!"

Neji frowned, but looked at Naruto and asked, "What about you?"

"Oh me? I'm… I'm just gonna stay here for a bit. Still have some things to think about." Naruto smiled, and shook the hand that Neji held out.

* * *

><p>Sasuke broke past the two shinobi who apprehended him at Konoha's gates, holding tight onto the sleeping girl slung over his right shoulder. He raced away from there shouting, and kept running, having vowed not to stop until he reached the Hokage's office. He ran and though his legs wanted to, he didn't stop. Until that is, he passed a blur of pink.<p>

His heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing Sakura after so long. And today! On the Seijin No Hi festival.

_She's twenty one years old…_

Walking back to where he saw the pink blur, he smiled knowing he was finally going to see how much she had grown.

Sasuke scowled. Suigetsu was with her. Sakura was in his arms. Her hands were tangled in his hair. He was crouching down to reach her height. Her face was bright pink. He stroked her face as he kissed her. As she kissed him.

"Sakura…" Sasuke was lost.

Sakura's head whipped round to look at the source of such a deep, brooding voice. "Sasuke!"

_Please… no… I have to be dreaming… all this was for nothing?_

* * *

><p>AN: I worked REALLY hard on this chapter, so I hope you like it^^ Not that I didn't work hard on the other chapters or anything… I think this is the longest chapter in the story so far, but regardless… I hope you're still reading and that you enjoy it!


	9. The Chase

A/N: My back hurts sooo much from writing this... I literally started this two days ago...

Disclaimer: Naruto characters/original plot does not belong to me.

* * *

><p>When Shikamaru's hand came in contact with Tenten's slightly puffy cheek, Ino fainted once again, and Tenten stood completely still. Her eyes were averted away from Shikamaru, who was now backing away slowly, wanting to avoid any blows coming his way. But none came.<p>

Tenten fell to her knees and looked now at the carpeted floor. Her face had gone bright red and a stinging sensation had begun to spread from her cheek to the rest of her body. "Why?"

Shikamaru looked down at Tenten who was now shaking and about to cry. He frowned, now wanting more than anything to be beaten up by Tenten rather than having to comfort her. He had just made his life a whole lot more troublesome. Tenten repeated her rather vague question. "Why?!"

"I don't know what you mean…" Shikamaru trailed off as Tenten began to cry.

"Why did you hit me you bastard?!" Tenten shot up off of the ground and smashed her head against his.

Shikamaru groaned as he rubbed his forehead and noticed a lingering smell of alcohol. Shikamaru backed away from Tenten as she began throwing empty tequila bottles at him, swearing in Chinese. "How the hell do you know Chinese?!" Shikamaru shouted in a somewhat cool tone as he dodged the glass bottles easily. Tenten's aim was off since she was apparently just as tipsy as Ino.

When Tenten ran out of bottles to throw, she began throwing dirty dishes left lying about. After finally growing tired of dodging various flying objects, Shikamaru stretched his shadow out and attached it to Tenten's, stopping her in her tracks.

Shikamaru rubbed a frown onto his face and watched as Tenten copied him. "How do you know Chinese?"

Tenten groaned but answered the question. "My mum is Chinese, but I only know how to swear."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at how un-lady like Tenten's answer sounded, but shook his head, chuckling when Tenten did the same. Tenten then tried to spit at Shikamaru, but abandoned the idea when Shikamaru forced her to spit in her hand.

"Why did you hit me?" Tenten spoke calmly.

"Because you're being a very troublesome idiot." Shikamaru looked Tenten dead in the eye and dropped his arms, releasing Tenten from his jutsu. She looked away from Shikamaru. Shikamaru sighed heavily and broke the silence that had begun to settle. "Look, I'm sorry I hit you. It was unnecessary. And I hate doing unnecessary things. But you can't spend the rest of your life crying over Neji. Sure, he can treat you like crap sometimes, and now you've had enough. But if you really want to leave Neji, you have to move on and cut your losses. But that's not the case with you two. You're both crazy about each other. You have to tell Neji that you're fed up with his bull and actually work it out." Shikamaru grunted and collapsed next to the unconscious Ino, tired from his slightly exciting morning.

Tenten breathed heavily and turned back around to look out of the window, trying to think about what Shikamaru had just said. Her large, coffee brown eyes wandered over the hustle and bustle of the morning, trying to find Sakura and Suigetsu. The sight she found was quite unexpected.

"Oh, my, gosh!" Tenten's eyes turned into circles and her heart seemed jump into her throat. Shikamaru opened one eye and looked at her petite figure leaning out of the open window.

"What?"

* * *

><p>Neji raced through the crowds of celebrating girls and fathers and mothers. His byakugan was activated, trying to locate Tenten's chakra signature. A small wedding band was held in Neji's tight, pale fist. Neji cursed himself repeatedly for drinking so early in the morning. It was affecting his sight, making it harder to see. Neji ran faster, trying to wake himself up, only to run into a large, muscular man. Neji fell to the ground and was helped up Juugo, the man he had run into.<p>

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Juugo smiled softly as he dusted Neji off. Neji tensed up at the contact. Realizing this, Juugo stuffed his in his pockets and muttered an apology.

"It's okay. Hey do you know where Tenten is?"

Juugo opened his mouth to answer, only to be cut off by the squealing of a young brunette who was leaning out of the window. It was Tenten. "Oh, my, gosh!"

Neji looked up at Tenten and followed her line of sight. His blood began to boil as he went into a hot, white rage.

* * *

><p>Naruto had started to walk out of the forest and was passing the main gates when he saw it. The two guards were blocking a tall raven haired man who was carrying a girl on his shoulder. Naruto squinted, trying to get a better picture. "It can't be…" He gasped. Racing towards the gates his thoughts were confirmed. It was Sasuke. And on his shoulder was Hinata. Naruto clenched his fists, unsure of his feelings. He was filled with rage but his eyes held relief. "Sasuke you bastard!" Naruto roared. Sasuke noticed Naruto from the corner of his eye, but ran on ahead, away from the guards.<p>

Grinning, Naruto gladly took chase.

_After all this time… that demon comes back all by himself! And with my girl!_

Sasuke ran past Lee and Kakashi, who were sat at the ramen bar. Kakashi frowned as he turned, only to see Naruto rush by. Kakashi ran after Naruto instinctively, forgetting to pay. Lee looks around in confusion as he pays for both him and Kakashi then joined the chase.

Naruto watched as Sasuke's raven hair bobbed further and further away. Exasperated, Naruto stormed on ahead, slowing down when Sasuke stopped and walked back to an alley way. Naruto saw Neji standing with Juugo looking towards Sasuke whose mouth was agape. He heard Tenten gasp from a window. Walking towards the alley way, Naruto coughed in embarrassment.

Kakashi came up behind Naruto and stared at Sasuke in amazement, only for his stare of amazement to wander over to the spectacle of Sakura and Suigetsu, bright pink and wrapped in each other's arms.

"Sakura how could you?" Lee shouts, having finally arrived at the scene. No one seems to notice.

"Sakura."

"Sasuke!"

Suigetsu opened his mouth to try and speak, but only jumbled words and letters flowed out. Sakura slowly pushed Suigetsu away from her to get a good look at the man who stood before her. He looked so much older, and his deep black eyes were still the same pits she would get lost in as a child. His face was squarer, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a tired wreck, but his eyes had become the same as they were before the tragedy; so innocent and open, yet sad and hurt.

Looking over to the girl slung over his shoulder, Sakura gulped. "Is that… Hinata?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, only to wheeze from being punched in the back. Sasuke fell to his knees and dropped Hinata on the ground. Naruto rushed over to Hinata and placed her head in his lap, stroking her face gently. Looking up, he saw Neji towering over Sasuke. "You took her didn't you Uchiha!?" Neji spat and pulled Sasuke up off of the ground by the collar of his dirty shirt.

Neji pulled his palm back and went to strike Sasuke in the heart. "Neji stop!" Tenten clambered out of the window and jumped. Shikamaru peered out of the window to see what the fuss was about and then raised an eyebrow at the amount of people.

Tenten walked towards Neji, whose palm was centimetres away from Sasuke's chest, but it was still enough to make him cough up some blood. Pulling him away from Sasuke, Tenten turned Neji around so he was facing her. Tenten wrapped her arms around Neji's torso and hugged him tight and whispered into his chest. "You can't do that here. Besides, you don't even know if it was him who took Hinata. It would be stupid to waste energy on a whim." Tenten felt Neji fist his hands on her back. His breathing slowed and he released Tenten from his grip.

"If I find out you had anything to with it… I will take care of you myself!" Neji hissed into Sasuke's ear and went over to Hinata to check she wasn't hurt.

After that, no one said a thing. Everyone stared at Sasuke who looking down at the small pool of blood that dripped down from his mouth. Suigetsu took hold of Sakura's hand, wanting to see if her feelings had changed. Sakura squeezed Suigetsu's hand and sighed, giving him a small smile. Kakashi cleared his throat, drawing attention to him and then started giving orders. "Naruto, Sakura. You are to take Hinata to the hospital and get her checked out. Juugo, Lee, you two will take Sasuke straight to lock up and nowhere else. Everyone else, go cool off and sort yourselves out. We are all to meet at Lady Tsunade's office in an hour. Understood?" Kakashi looked around at the small crowd. Everyone bowed and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi sighed and looked up at Shikamaru who was still standing at the window. "Me and you will survey the Konoha borders and make sure no one else came here with Sasuke." Shikamaru groaned, but nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Tsunade frowned at Jiraiya. The documents he had placed in front of her were now scrunched up in her hands. "The evidence is all there. I'm telling you! He <em>is <em>back and he _will_ try to finish what he started." Jiraiya's voice was stern. Held within his large hand was another document which he placed in front of Tsunade. "Sign this, and I will be able to track him down and-" Tsunade screamed and tipped her desk back. Jiraiya stepped to the side to avoid being hit.

"I am not letting you go on another covert mission, or any other mission that involves you disappearing underground for that matter! The last time you did you almost… you know the rest! I just don't want to go through that again…" Tsunade tried her best to send Jiraiya a threatening stare, but upon making eye contact with Jiraiya, her honey eyes softened, and it took most of Tsunade's will power to stop herself from breaking down into tears.

Jiraiya placed his hands on Tsunade's shoulders and squeezed them. "If you don't want me to go, then I respect your decision as the Hokage and as a friend." Jiraiya gave Tsunade a warm smile. Looking up, Tsunade found herself being pulled closer to Jiraiya.

Shizune burst into the room, oblivious to Tsunade's and Jiraiya's position. "What is it Shizune?!" Tsunade snapped and quickly pushed Jiraiya away from her, her cheeks slightly pink.

"Sasuke Uchiha! He's back!" Shizune gasped, unsure as to what to do.

Tsunade frowned. Jiraiya looked from Tsunade to Shizune. "Who brought him back?" Jiraiya spoke slowly, almost unsure of himself.

"No one, he came of his own free will. He also brought Hinata with him."

"What?" Tsunade burst passed Shizune and rushed down to the cells underground. Jiraiya and Shizune followed suit.

* * *

><p>Ino fluttered her eyes open. Sitting up, she grabbed her stomach and went green. Gagging slightly, Ino swallowed hard. Looking around her apartment, she squealed and stuffed her fist in her to stop herself from screaming. Broken glass was scattered all over the floor, and small bits of food had gotten stuck to the wall.<p>

"Shikamaru, Tenten! I'm gonna kill you!"

* * *

><p>AN: That last bit was kinda unnecessary, but I added it just to show Ino missed out on a lot... and I think this is the only chapter so far where Sasuke only says one word.


	10. NOTICE

**For those who are still following this story, I am terribly sorry for the slow updates. I also want to ask that you begin re-reading this story because I am currently in the midst of re-writing all chapters before uploading chapter ten.**

**I have already updated chapter one. I am doing this so only good quality work is available for others to enjoy. So please hang in there :)**


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